Stepbrother Broken (The Hawthorne Brothers Book 2) (27 page)

“
Cash is a model?!
”
I ask, unable to keep from laughing.

“
I know. It
’
s insane,
”
Maddie laughs too,
“
Honestly, it
’
s kind of just a cover. A reason
for him to be in Seattle with me while we figure out how to go forward. As a
couple. Of course, now we
’
re hiding our relationship from our
employers
and
our parents
…”

“
But not your baby sister,
”
I point out.

“
No. And I
’
m glad,
”
Maddie says, her voice taking
on a serious cast,
“
I
’
m
glad that you told me about you and Luke, too. Because now, for perhaps the
first time in my life, I can give you some big-sisterly advice. You listening?
”

“
Oh, I
’
m
all ears.
”

“
If breaking things off with Luke is
what you really want, then I
’
m certainly not going to try and
talk you out of it. But if you don
’
t mind my saying so, it doesn
’
t sound like you want him out of your life. It sounds
to me like you
’
re scared.
”

“
Scared?
”
I say, clutching the phone to my ear,
“
Scared of what?
”

“
Scared of what people will think.
Scared that you
’
re doing something sick or wrong.
Scared that you
’
re setting yourself up for
heartbreak. Need I go on?
”

“
No
…”
I
whisper,
“
No, that
’
s about the size of it.
”

“
I don
’
t
mean to sound all high and mighty. I still don
’
t
have my own feelings for Cash all the way figured out. I mean, they
’
re still
…
What did Anna say? Our
‘
almost brothers
’
?
”

“
Ugh. Don
’
t remind me,
”
I groan.

“
But that
almost
is the
important part,
”
Maddie urges,
“
Last time I checked, we don
’
t share a drop of blood with the Hawthorne boys. And I
didn
’
t see any ring on Mom
’
s finger. There
’
s nothing wrong with what you feel
for Luke. Nothing.
”

“
Even though our parents are
together? Christ, even though you and Cash
—
?
”

“
Let
’
s
be honest for a second, Soph,
”
Maddie cuts in,
“
Since when has our family functioned in anything
approaching a normal way? How much has Mom even been involved in your life
these past few years? God, to what extent has she ever even acted like a mother
to us?
”

“
She
’
s
not perfect,
”
I allow,
“
But it
’
s like you said yourself, back at
the lake. Family
’
s not something you can ever
forget.
”

“
No,
”
Maddie
allows,
“
We
’
ll
never forget the place she had in our lives when we were small. And we
’
ll always, always love her. But she
’
s moved on from the part of her life that included us.
She said as much herself. And if she
’
s written off her past
…”

“
Then why can
’
t we,
”
I say softly, feeling the
world come into focus around me.

“
We
’
ve
already been robbed of our happiness once in our lives,
”
Maddie says firmly,
“
Losing
Dad nearly destroyed us all. Maybe a new start is what all of us Porter women
need. Even if that means going our own ways. God knows, we kind of already
have.
”

I
sit silently, taking in everything Maddie
’
s said to me. For the first time in
weeks, I feel the faintest flutter of hope coming back to life inside me. Maybe
it
’
s crazy to go along with what she
’
s saying. Maybe I
’
m just clinging onto her words
because they give me a shot at having a future with Luke. But maybe it doesn
’
t matter
…
Maybe all that matters is keeping
that little flare of hope alive, nursing it until it erupts into full blown
happiness.

It
’
s certainly worth a shot.

“
You
’
re
not too bad at this big sister thing,
”
I finally say, my voice
hoarse with emotion.

“
Gee. Thanks,
”
Maddie drawls.

“
Thank
you
. Seriously,
”
I whisper.

“
Of course,
”
she says softly,
“
I
’
m
so glad you told me what was going on with you. Not least of all because I have
an idea.
”

“
An idea about what?
”
I ask her.

“
About how to get you and Luke back
together, of course,
”
she tells me.

“
Whoa, whoa. Slow your roll, sister,
”
I tell her.

“
No time to waste, Sophie. Do you
want this boy back in your life or not?
”

“
I
…
I
do,
”
I tell her.

Saying
it out loud, I know at once that it
’
s the truth. I want Luke to be a
part of my life again. Whatever it takes. Even if it means trusting my romantic
life to my lapsed-prude of a sister.

“
Well OK then,
”
she says. I can practically hear her grinning across
the state line,
“
Here
’
s
what I
’
m thinking
…”

Chapter Thirteen

Maddie
’
s master plan boils down to this: getting Luke and I
back in the same place and letting fate take its course. Her agency, ReImaged,
is hosting a big party to launch their campaign for Asphalt denim. Cash will be
there as a
“
brand ambassador
”
and Maddie is pretty much running the whole show with
her wily coworker Allie. Maddie will get my name on the guest list to the
exclusive event, and make sure that Cash invites Luke as well. Once Luke and I
cross paths at the party, the ball will be in my court. I
’
ll have to find a way to convince him to give us a
chance, despite the odds. Whether or not I can do that is anyone
’
s guess.

But
I have to take the shot. Surely, Luke will be able to understand
that.

The
only real hitch in Maddie
’
s scheme is that the Asphalt party
is tomorrow night. In Seattle. A full day
’
s drive from Sheridan University.
Which is a pretty daunting obstacle, seeing as I don
’
t currently have a car. Daunting, but not
insurmountable.

The
second I get off the phone with Maddie, I race across campus to Danny
’
s dorm room. Time is of the essence if I
’
m going to pull this off, and I
’
m going to need to call in every favor I
’
ve got (and even a few that I
haven
’
t
got). I charge into Danny
’
s building, take the stairs two at a time, and nearly body
slam his door as I skid to a halt before it.

“
Danny!
”
I call, hammering the door with my fist,
“
Danny, are you home?
”

The
door swings open, but it isn
’
t Danny who greets me. For a
second, I have trouble placing the attractive, dark haired man standing in my
best friend
’
s doorway. But he recognizes me
right away.

“
Hey Maddie!
”
he smiles, pulling me into a hug.

“
Oh, hey!
”
I reply giving him a friendly pat on the back.

“
I haven
’
t seen you since that dreadful night at The Bear Trap,
”
he goes on excitedly,
“
How
have you been doing?
”

That
’
s where I know him from. It
’
s Greg
—
the guy Danny was chatting up the
night I hooked up with Luke at the bar. The guy who came and fetched us just
before Danny got jumped by those assholes. Looks like their flirtation wasn
’
t just a one-night thing, either.

“
I
’
ve
been
…
OK,
”
I
tell him,
“
Some family drama. A dash of guy
trouble.
”

“
Sounds like quite the summer,
”
Greg nods.

“
Indeed,
”
I reply,
“
Hey, is Danny here? It
’
s kind of urgent.
”

On
cue, my best friend appears in the bathroom doorway, a towel wrapped around his
sculpted hips. He stops in his tracks as he catches sight of me and Greg
chatting at the door. I
’
ve never seen my brash, confident
friend look bashful before. What gives?

“
Heyyy, Sophie,
”
Danny says slowly, adjusting his towel,
“
What brings you here?
”

“
Well,
”
I
tell him,
“
There
’
s
been a pretty interesting development in the Luke saga, and I may need your
help. Scratch that, I definitely need your help.
”

“
Wait, wait,
”
Greg cuts in,
“
This sounds like the beginning of
an adventure. And that calls for something fermented. Give me one sec.
”

He
dashes off into the kitchen, and I raise an eyebrow at Danny.

“
So you get to know every detail of
my love life, but I don
’
t hear a word about this?
”

“
Ugh. I was just
…
too embarrassed to tell you, OK?
”
Danny sighs,
“
I mean, seeing the same person for
more than a week? I
’
m getting so
boring
.
”

“
I think it
’
s sweet,
”
I tell him,
“
You guys seem happy.
”

“
So far, so good,
”
Danny allows,
“
Who would have thought I
’
d meet such a nice boy at a backwoods biker bar?
”

“
Stranger things have happened,
”
I shrug,
“
And speaking of, wait until I tell
you what
’
s going on with my sister. Put some
pants on. This may take a while to explain
…”

Once
all present are fully dressed and furnished with glasses of
ros
é
,
I sit Danny and Greg down to fill them in on my predicament. Greg
’
s jaw inches slowly toward the floor as I get him up
to speed, and Danny
’
s follows suit when I reveal Maddie
’
s secret affair with Cash.

“
And no
‘
all in the family
’
jokes just yet,
”
I warn them, taking a big sip of wine,
“
There
’
s more.
”

I
tell the boys about Maddie
’
s plan to get me face-to-face with
Luke again, and about ReImaged
’
s Asphalt launch party in Seattle
tomorrow. Their eyes go wide as I describe the event as Maddie did on the
phone. The party is going down in a newly renovated industrial warehouse turned
luxury hotel on the Seattle waterfront. All of the
“
everyman models
”
featured in Asphalt
’
s new ad campaign will be present. This is the launch
of the company
’
s brand new men
’
s line, so they
’
re not cutting any corners.

“
So there
’
s going to be booze, beautiful men, and a
spur-of-the-moment road trip?
”
Danny asks me, sounding like
a little kid at Christmas.

“
My only question is, where are our
invites?
”
Greg grins.

“
I
’
d
be more than happy to have some moral support,
”
I
tell them,
“
And
…
even
happier if one of you would be willing to chip in some wheels.
”

“
We can take my car,
”
Greg says decisively.

“
Really?
”
I ask with bated breath,
“
You
’
d haul some girl you
’
ve barely met across state lines, just like that?
”

“
Any friend of Daniel
’
s is a friend of mine,
”
Greg
says warmly,
“
I
’
d
be happy to help.
”

Daniel?
I mouth to my best friend as Greg
takes a swig of wine.

Shut
up,
he mouths
back, unable to hide his smile.

“
Next question,
”
Greg goes on, setting down his glass,
“
When do we leave?
”

“
Um
…
Right
now, more or less,
”
I say nervously.

“
No time like the present,
”
Danny says, rising to his feet,
“
You go pack up, Soph. We
’
ll
come get you in twenty. And be sure to pack your sexiest underthings. We
’
re not dragging you all the way to Seattle just so you
can horrify Professor Sexy Pants with your granny panties.
”

“
Hey. Granny panties are making a
comeback,
”
I tell him,
“
The internet says so.
”

“
Ugh,
”
Danny
shudders,
“
All the more reason never to go
near technology.

I
give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“
Thank you. Both of you. You
’
re really saving me, here.
”

“
It
’
s
not every day you get to be an accessory to an epic lovers
’
reunion,
”
Gary says.

“
We don
’
t even know how he
’
s
going to react,
”
I say cautiously.
“
He could be furious to find me at this party, for all
we know.
”

“
He
’
s
going to be thrilled,
”
Greg assures me,
“
I just know it.
”

The
certainty of a near-stranger will have to do for now. I turn on my heel and
dart out of the room, off to pack my bags for the adventure
—
or the disappointment
—
of
a lifetime.

It
isn
’
t just any set of wheels that Gary
donates to the cause of reuniting me and Luke. The boys swing around to pick me
up in a vintage BMW convertible. The top is down, the radio is blasting, and
the engine is running.

“
Is this for real?
”
I laugh, tossing my bag into the backseat and hopping
in after it.

“
You better believe it
’
s real,
”
Danny calls back,
“
How
’
s this for a chariot, m
’
lady?
”

We
take off in the late afternoon sunlight, bidding adieu to Sheridan for the next
few days. By the time I lay eyes on this place again come Monday, my life will
be inalterably changed. It
’
s just hard to say in which
direction.

But
as the three of us peel off onto the open road, singing along to Nicki Minaj at
the top of our lungs, I feel my reservations begin to melt away. Whatever
happens in Seattle, I will have gone after my happiness at full speed. And that
’
s all one can do, in the end.

We
spend the night in the cheapest (and seediest) roadside motel we can find along
the way. The blue-haired woman that checks us in nearly has a heart attack when
we request a single room.

“
Are you one of those open
marriages, or what have you?
”
she asks us, clearly
appalled. 

“
Would you refuse to let us stay
here if we were?
”
I ask.

“
I have the right to refuse anyone a
room,
”
the old woman huffs, crossing her
meaty arms,
“
I don
’
t
like unconventional arrangements.
”